Skeleton In The Closet
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: Deep below the ground lies the BPRD's greatest mistake. But what happens when one day the Bureau's greatest asset stumbles upon the agency's best kept secret?.......HB/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Hey y'all! We've basically written OC's for every character, ('cept Nuada, but his is coming soon!) and who did we miss? _

HELLBOY!

_No shit, Vi. This is basically a teaser/prologue/first chapter-thing, so review and we'll see how fast we post the next one, because we're starting on it when we finish posting this. _

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: Swearing (not much in this chapter). We own nothing but the plot and Blaise........for now. This is in the same universe as Touch, so John and Abe are together! This is post HB2, but Liz isn't pregnant, and John forgave Hellboy for shipping him off to Antarctica.......and so did Abe.**_

* * *

In retrospect, Hellboy would never had found the secret entrance if he weren't drunk.

* * *

The demon stumbled along the halls of the BPRD, stumbling slightly. So he had gotten drunk. So what. It wasn't his fault—much. He was a little depressed, what else was he supposed to do, write poetry? John and Abe were having a good time playing chess, and Clay and Liz were out somewhere. Shortly after John and Abe got together, Hellboy and Liz realized that they felt more like brother and sister than they did boyfriend and girlfriend. And so Clay took his chance—they had been dating for three months.

Tripping over his tail, Hellboy slammed into the wall, expecting to hear a thud. Instead, he heard a hollow ringing. Straightening, Red tapped the metal again, and the same sound came out. Hooking his fingers under the metal plating, the demon winced at the screech as he peeled the metal back, revealing a dark hole. Suddenly sobered, Hellboy glanced around for stray agents and then crawled into the hole, closing it behind him.

The demon's hands fumbled on the wall, until they came across a light switch. Flicking it on, Hellboy found himself in a hallway with an elevator at the other end. Turning back the way he'd come, Red jumped in surprise; the whole wall was gone. But when he tried to reach through, his hands met metal. He cocked his head to the side—one-sided metal.

Shrugging, the demon headed for the elevator, the doors opening as he walked by. As the doors closed behind him, Hellboy noticed that the only button the elevator had was an up button, and there were no number so indicate what floor they were on. "What the hell kinda elevator is this?"

Just as Hellboy considered prying open the doors, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Red's jaw dropped as he stepped out.

In the middle of the room, there was a giant tube full of some kind of fluid that was glowing, slightly illuminating the dark room. But on second glance, it wasn't the fluid that was glowing......it was the girl floating inside of it.

The girl had long, wavy black-brown hair, and was wearing a long-sleeved dress typical of the forties, only it ended just below her knees. Black combat boots went up to the middle of her calves.

Red blinked, and then struggled for words. "What the _hell_ is this? Is this some kinda _farce_?"

Suddenly, and hissing sound startled the demon, and smoke started coming out of the tube. A computer voice stated, _"Password recognized. Commencing draining process."_

Hellboy panicked. "Wait, what? Drainin' process? What the hell's goin' on? Aw crap!"

The tube clicked open, and the fluid spilled out, taking the girl with it. Hellboy froze, thinking she was dead, until the girl coughed and sucked in a deep breath. In seconds, Red crossed over to the girl and picked her up. "Hey, are you okay?! Girlie, talk ta me!"

The girl sat up, surprisingly dry, and blinked. Hellboy was startled by her eyes—they were a rich amber color. The demon opened his mouth to say something again, but the girl clapped a hand over his mouth. "No need to shout, sir. I can hear you perfectly. Will you let me speak?" Hellboy nodded, and the girl sighed. "What year is it, sir?"

Hellboy looked at her like she was crazy. "Today's May 6, 2009. And ya don't need ta call me 'sir'. My name's Hellboy."

The girl looked surprised. "It's been that long?"

Red blinked. "Whaddya mean, _that long_? How long ya been down here?"

She looked up at the demon and stood shakily. "So you must be _the_ Hellboy, then. You were smaller when I saw you." She smirked. "Naturally, considering the last time I saw you was in 1946."

Hellboy's jaw dropped. "What? Do I know you?"

The girl shook her head. "No, you never saw me. I volunteered for an experiment for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense in 1946. I've been down here ever since." She paused for a moment. "I was ten when I volunteered, and since I age a year approximately every seven years, I am.......nineteen." Suddenly, the girl dropped back to her knees. Hellboy, confused, headed back to the elevator. "Look, I'm gonna go back up and get ya some help, and—"

"No!" The girl's shout echoed across the room, and Hellboy turned back around. The girl blushed at her outburst. "No one above us can know that I'm awake."

Sighing, Hellboy sat down on the ground next to the girl. "'Kay, so I can't get ya help. Are ya sure yer okay?" The girl nodded. Hellboy thought for a moment, tapping his tail on the ground. "What's yer name?"

"Blaise Ashby." Blaise watched Hellboy's tail flick up and down.

"Where ya from, Blaise? Ya don't sound American."

Blaise arched an eyebrow. "I came to America when I was four from Ireland. Do I really have an accent?"

Red grinned and gestured with his fingers. "Only a teeny-weeny one. It's kinda cute."

Blaise blushed. "Um, thanks, I think." Suddenly, her hand shot out and she caught Hellboy's tail. Startled by her own actions, she dropped the appendage and her blush deepened. Red's grin widened, and he brought his tail to tuck a strand of hair of the girl's shoulder. "Cool, huh?"

"Very."

The demon arched an eyebrow. "Y'know, ya don't sound like yer from the 40's."

Blaise shrugged and pointed to the tube she had been in. "The capsule I was in was hooked to your main radio and satellite systems—I'm very well informed of the past sixty-three years of history." She smiled. "MTV and National Geographic Channel are especially interesting."

Hellboy nodded. "Hmm.....creepy."

The girl arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Nah, it's just strange to know that I've been spied on by a nineteen-year-old for the past sixty-three years."

Blaise's pale cheeks turned even redder. "I was _not_ spying!"

The demon laughed. "Relax, Blaise, I didn't mean ta get ya all hot and bothered!" As he spoke, he noticed that since the girl was sitting cross-legged, he could slightly see up her skirt. Blaise followed his gaze, and her legs promptly closed.

Suddenly, a buzzing noise startled the two, and Hellboy saw that his communicator was vibrating madly. He groaned and stood. "Nanny squad." As he headed to the elevator, he glanced around. "Are ya sure ya don't need anythin'?"

Blaise nodded. "I'll be fine." She paused. "Will you come back to visit?"

Hellboy grinned and the elevator doors opened. "You can bet on it." His grin grew as the doors started to close. "'Sides, ya look cute when ya blush!"

The last thing he heard before the doors slid shut was Blaise's shocked gasp. The demon laughed all the way back up the elevator.

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	2. Chapter 2

Hey y'all! Glad you like our story so far!

_Peya Luna, it's good to see you! Go check out the sequel to Choice! You'll like it!_

Anyway, on with the story!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

_BTW, a millstone is a huge circular rock with a hole in the middle that millers used to pound wheat into flour. They're very, very heavy. And 'coppers' is just a fun way to say 'the cops'._

* * *

When the elevator doors opened, Hellboy was surprised to see that Blaise wasn't there. Walking into the center of the room, the demon looked around. "Blaise? Where are ya?"

A creaking noise above him prompted the demon to look up, and he gave a surprised shout to see Blaise jump down from the rafters. "Geez girl, what're ya doin' up there? Ya almost made me drop the food."

The girl brushed off her dress and stood. "You can never be too careful." Suddenly, she caught the last part of his sentence. "Excuse me? Food?"

Hellboy help up a box of cans of spray cheese, several dozen boxes of crackers, and four six-packs of Red Bull. He sounded embarrassed. "Thought ya might be hungry." Suddenly remember what he had stuffed in his pocket, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "Oh, and I got these for ya. Thought ya might be sick of wearin' that dress," he paused and looked even more flustered. "I mean, you've been wearin' it for sixty-somethin' years. But—I mean, I know that girls back in your time thought that wearin' past was immodest so....." he trailed off.

Blaise smiled brightly and walked into the elevator to change, coming out after several minutes. She kissed the demon lightly on the cheek. "Thank you very much. They're a perfect fit. Where did you get them?"

Hellboy's eyes flicked all around the room, settling everywhere but the girl. "Um....one of the agents' daughters is yer age. Thought I'd ask 'im fer a favor."

Blaise nodded again and grabbed a can of spray cheese from the box. "And what is this?"

Hellboy snapped back into reality, and took a can from the box. "Oh, that's easy!" He struggled to grab a box of crackers with the hand he was holding the can with—the effort crushed the can, and cheese oozed over his fingers. Blaise laughed but then blushed as Hellboy licked it off. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing. Here, let me help you."

She picked up a box of crackers and deftly opened it. Taking the other boxes from Hellboy and setting them on the ground, Blaise sat down on the floor and gestured for him to do the same. "Show me."

Hellboy grinned and took a cracker, holding it gently in his hand. With his stone hand, he pressed the nozzle on the spray can, cheese squirted out. Blaise gasped. "That's amazing!"

"It's just spray cheese."

Blaise shrugged, grabbing a cracker and trying for herself, a grin spreading over her face as she popped a cracker layered with cheese in her mouth. "Well, back in my day, we had a slab of cheese and a microwave, and that was it."

Red chuckled. "Y'know, I was alive in 'your day'."

A snort. "Barely."

The demon laughed. "Y'know, yer pretty strange." At the girl's surprised look, he elaborated. "Nah, it ain't a bad thing, it's just.......yer different. I mean, most girls, they'd have heart attacks if they saw me!"

Blaise rolled her eyes. "Dainty fools."

"Now, be fair. I mean, look at me!" Blaise looked up him and down and shrugged. Hellboy sighed. "I'm bright red, huge, I got horns, and part 'a me's made outta stone!"

Blaise shrugged again. "So is a giant, spray-painted goat with a millstone around its neck."

The strange picture that formed was enough to send Hellboy into a laughing fit as Blaise helped herself to more cheese and crackers, experimentally popping open a can of Red Bull. As Hellboy stopped laughing, the girl licked her lips and smiled. "This drink is good." Glancing over her shoulder, she pretended to pout. "No wings, though."

Red smiled. "So ya really ain't scared of me?"

"No. Why should I be?"

That floored the demon. "Ya mean, ya ain't afraid I'm gonna go bezerk and kill you?"

"With what?"

Hellboy pulled out his Samaritan. "With this, fer starters. This Samaritan's as big as your head!"

The girl glanced at the gun. "That is a very big gun. Are you inferring that I have a very big head?" she teased.

"No! It's got nothin' ta do with yer head. What I mean is that this is a _really big_ gun. And it has _really big_ bullets. I could seriously hurt someone."

"But you don't want to, do you?"

Hellboy blanched. "'Course not!"

"Then you won't," Blaise said matter-of-factly, her arms crossed over her chest. Suddenly, she asked, "What's it like?"

"Where? Outside?" Blaise nodded, and Hellboy grinned. "Aw, it's great! New York's pretty big place and it's really cool, but once ya get out ta Albany, or to the countryside, it's really nice." He winked. "Too bad global warmin's gettin' to it." Changing the subject, he asked, "So, what about you?"

The girl arched an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"Where ya from? Why're ya here? What d'ya do with yourself before the experiment?"

Blaise blinked, and Hellboy thought he had tread on old wounds for a minute, but then she spoke. "My parents died when I was four in a construction accident, and my extended family thought it would be a good idea to send me to my aunt in America. But when I got here, it turns out that my aunt had died, and my step-uncle wanted nothing to do with me. So I started to hustle."

Hellboy gaped. "You? Hustle? No way!"

Blaise grinned and held up a wallet that Hellboy had sworn had been in his back pocket. The demon held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, ya got me." As she handed him back the wallet, the demon had an idea. "We should go."

The girl blinked. "What?"

"We should go," Hellboy repeated, "Up there. To New York City."

Blaise paled. "Oh no, I can't."

"Why not? I can tell you really wanna go." Hellboy pouted, trying to look like Myers whenever he wanted something. _"Pleeeaaaase?"_ he wheedled.

She sighed. "Fine." She held up a finger. "But no one upstairs can see me. New York, yes, fine. But no one in the BPRD can see us."

The demon blinked in surprise. "Um, okay, sure." He stood up and grabbed Blaise's hand, pulling her up with him. "I'll keep ya from the big bad agents, 'kay? Just stay behind me."

* * *

They were halfway to the entrance before they were spotted. Hellboy was walking with Blaise very close behind, when Clay rounded the corner, spotting the demon. "Hey Red."

Hellboy stopped and Blaise bumped into him. "Um, hey Clay. What's up?"

The agent smiled and was about to answer, when he noticed the way Red was standing. "Um, Hellboy, are you okay?"

"Yeah Clay, what makes ya think I'm not?"

The agent frowned. "Just the way you're standing." He peered behind the demon's shoulder, and Hellboy turned to block his view. Clay crossed his arms over his chest. "Hellboy, turn around."

The demon paused, but then turned, Blaise ending up pressed against his chest. Clay's frown deepened, and he was about to say something else, when a resounding boom came from the direction Hellboy had come from. The agent dashed off, and Blaise slumped against Red's chest in relief. "I'm glad that worked."

Red blinked. "You did that?"

Blaise paused, aware of what she just said. "Um....sort of." Hellboy shrugged and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her to the lift before anyone else could stop them.

* * *

Blaise shrieked giddily as Hellboy jumped onto the roof of a tall apartment building, the demon's arm wrapped around her waist as she peered over the edge. "This is amazing! Look at everything! It's all so big! Well, I mean, it was always big, but now it's bigger!" Hellboy grinned as the girl laughed again and twirled around the roof. "So, ya really like it, huh?"

The girl kept twirling. "Like it? I love it!" Suddenly she paused, peering over the edge of the building at something before turning back to Hellboy, a glint in her eye. "Let's go down to the subway." Before the demon could answer, Blaise crouched and grabbed the edge of the building, swinging herself over. Hellboy was paralyzed with fear for a moment—did she realize they were _ten stories up_?!

Suddenly freed from his paralysis, Hellboy darted over to the edge of the building, stunned to see Blaise waving up at him from a fire escape. After some careful maneuvering, Hellboy joined her. Blaise grinned at his stunned expression and explained, "I've had to do some pretty crazy things to get away from the coppers."

Hellboy grinned. "The _coppers_, huh?"

Blaise turned and said in a shockingly Irish accent, "Are you making fun of my English, demon?"

Red laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "No, ma'am!"

The girl sniffed indignantly, her voice back to normal. "That's what I thought." Suddenly, she remembered her reasons for the crazy escapade to the fire escape. "Let's go to the subway."

Hellboy grimaced. "Um, we can't."

"Why not?"

The demon played nervously with his hands. "Well, 'cause Manning and Liz'll have my hide if anyone sees me."

To his immense surprise, Blaise shrugged. "Oh, that's all?" She pulled something that looked ridiculously like a grenade from her jeans pocket and pulled the pin, dropping it down on the street. Hellboy gaped at her. "Ya can't go around droppin' grenades on people! It ain't right!"

But Blaise just smiled, as if she knew something he didn't—and considering she had no qualms about throwing grenades onto passerby, she probably did. The girl clambered over the rail and onto the fire escape ladder, and began to slide down. "Come on!"

"But that goes to the street!"

Blaise was already several stories down, but she shouted back, "Exactly!"

Bemused, Hellboy followed her down, ducking into an alley when his feet hit the ground. Manning he wasn't scared of, but Liz could raise hell when properly motivated. Blaise, meanwhile, was standing in the middle of the street, looking at him with a smile on her face. "Come on out, Hellboy!"

"Are ya kiddin'?!" he hissed, "People'll see me!"

Blaise rolled her eyes. "So?" When he didn't look convinced, she added, "Please just come out, trust me."

Tentatively, Hellboy walked out into the street, and his eyes widened as people just walked past him. No one pointed or shouted or screamed......they just went on with their business. "What's goin' on?"

Blaise grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the subway as she explained. "That's a stun grenade, special issue. There's a mist around you."

"So people don't see me?"

"No, so people don't pay attention. They'll just look at you and think, 'Oh hey, some giant red demon', but that'll be it. You might as well be one of them."

Hellboy noticed how she said that he could be one of "them", but not "us". He shrugged it off as a slip of the tongue. Instead he asked, "Where'd you get that?"

"I have plenty more. The BPRD discontinued them, and I stored as many as I could away with me."

By now, they were in the subway station, calming breezing past the guard and the ticket booth. Once they were on the train, Hellboy asked, "Where d'ya wanna go?"

Blaise grinned as she looked around. "Surprise me."

* * *

Several hours later, Hellboy and Blaise wandered around Times Square, Blaise holding a pretzel, and Hellboy holding five. Suddenly, the girl turned. "My old home isn't far from here. May we go see it?"

Hellboy was surprised she even asked. "Duh! Let's go!"

A few streets later, Blaise stopped. "Oh." In the place of her block, a new WalMart stood. Hellboy frowned. "Geez, Blaise, 'm sorry."

But the girl laughed. "Oh, wow! That was silly of me!"

"What?"

Blaise laughed again and pointed the way they had come. "We went the wrong way! My old home is that way!"

Hellboy snorted. "Ditz!"

An outraged gasp escaped Blaise, but at the same time, her eyes were laughing. "How inconsiderate!" She let out a squeal as Hellboy grabbed her and hauled her onto his shoulder, giving her a view of the next street. "C'mon, babe, we got a lotta walkin' ta do."

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	3. Chapter 3

_Kekeke.......lots of questions and not very many answers! But it'll get more interesting in the next chapter!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Blaise was already by the door when the elevator opened, her face worried. "I smell blood. What's wrong?"

Hellboy tried to grin, wincing as the action pulled on his cheek, where Abe had just stitched up a wound. The demon held up and arm, which was also riddled with stitches. "Eh, nothin'. Just work."

Blaise didn't look convinced; instead, she grabbed the demon's arm and pulled him into the light. The girl made a face. "What the hell kind of shoddy stitching is this?"

Red arched an eyebrow. "Abe sewed that up."

The girl tsked and pulled at the knot, starting to unwind the thread from the skin. "Well your 'Abe' isn't very good at this." She glanced up as Hellboy hissed. "Mediocre at best." Once she had pulled the thread out and thrown it away, she climbed back up into the ceiling, pulling a first-aid kit down with her. At Hellboy's look, she assured him, "Don't worry, it's all sterile."

"That ain't what I was about to say."

Blaise nodded absently as she threaded the string through a needle. "Really?"

"I was gonna say," Hellboy winced as Blaise grabbed his arm and put it on her lap, "That ya didn't have ta do it again." The girl ignored him and started to stitch the cut back up. "I can handle a lot."

She nodded absently again. "I'm sure you can, and you don't need an infection on top of it." With neat, surgical precision, Blaise tied the knot and cut the string, moving up the demon's arm to another cut. "It'll only take a moment, so why don't you tell me how you got these anyhow?"

Red paused. "We went ta look through some reliquaries that just got delivered to a museum, and one of 'em had a really old Egyptian demon in it. Tried ta have my arm for lunch."

Blaise looked up. "It's around noon?"

Hellboy nodded. "Yeah." Suddenly, he blinked. "Hey, how d'ya tell time around here?" He glanced around the room—completely empty aside from the tube in the middle. "Ya don't even have any furniture in here, let alone a clock."

A shrug. "Educated guess. You said it tried to have you for lunch, so I assume it's around noon." With a quick whistle, she finished the last stitch and moved on to his cheek. That was finished quickly too. "There. All done."

Hellboy put up a hand to feel the stitching, only to have it slapped away. Blaise scowled. "Well, don't touch it! You didn't come down here to have these sewn twice?!"

The demon chuckled, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist and she stood and pulled her down with him. "Actually, I didn't come down here fer that. I came down ta ask if ya wanted ta come upstairs with me. To my room, I mean. I got TV's in there and tons of stuff." He looked flustered. "I can steal some more food for ya, if you'd like."

Blaise's eyes widened, and she grinned. "I'd love to."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Hellboy threw the bolt on the door to his room and let Blaise in. "Well, this is the place. Sorry fer the mess."

The girl shrugged. "I've seen worse." She gave a surprised laugh as several cats surrounded her. "There are so many!"

Red grinned. "Yeah, I know. That one's Peter, the little one's Petals, and the black one's called Scarlet."

"Who is that?"

She was pointing to a big, grayish-brown tabby that was sitting primly on Hellboy's bed. The demon tensed as Blaise sat down on the bed next to her. "I'd be careful if I were you. That's Henrietta, and she ain't really friendly ta strangers......" Red trailed off as the cat climbed into the girl's lap purring contently. "That's impossible!" he declared. "Henrietta doesn't like anyone—she didn't like Liz when she first met 'er!" He paused. "Come ta think of it, none 'a the cats really like Liz ta begin with."

Blaise was about to answer when there was a knock on the door. "Hellboy? It's Abe."

The demon's eyes widened. "Shit! Abe'll see you! Ya gotta get outta here!"

The girl looked equally scared. "How?" Suddenly, the door creaked open, leaving Blaise standing in the middle of the room. As Abe walked in, Hellboy expected her to run and hide, but instead, she closed her eyes and froze.

Abe cocked his head to the side, taking in Hellboy's petrified look. "Are you alright? You look like a deer caught in headlights."

Hellboy glanced one more time in Blaise's direction and realized that Abe couldn't see her—let it be damned as to how. "Nothin' Abe, ya just surprised me, is all."

"But I knocked."

Red scowled. "Shut up, Blue." Searching for a different topic, he asked. "How're things with John?"

The icthyo-sapien blushed. "Fine." Suddenly, the fish-man's head cocked to the side again. "Did you re-stitch your wounds?"

Hellboy heard Blaise hiss and shook his head. "No. I can't sew for shit! You must be imaginin' it."

Abe shook his head. "No, no. I'm positive. The stitches are straight up and down, while mine lean to the right. In fact, these look much better than mine."

"I got no idea what yer talkin' about."

Blue didn't look convinced, but he shrugged it off. "Must be my imagination then. Well, then Hellboy, I have to leave. Bye."

Hellboy gave a little wave. "See ya later, Blue."

As the door closed, Blaise dropped to her knees, laughing with relief. Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting that to work!"

The demon arched his eyebrows. "How d'ya do that, anyway."

Blaise winked, but her eyes glinted with nervous light. "It's a secret."

* * *

Liz, Abe, John and Clay sat in the library later that day, once again sans Hellboy. He had been disappearing more and more throughout the month, and Abe was still pondering the mysterious stitching. Suddenly, Liz's voice startled the men. "Have you noticed that Red seems happier?"

John opened his mouth and then closed it, thinking. "You know, you're right! He seems really......bouncy lately."

"I can't believe that stitching....." Abe mumbled. John noticed his lover's obvious frustration and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Abe?"

"I went in to talk to the big monkey after we got back from that mission with the reliquaries, and someone had redone the stitches on his wounds. They were so much better than mine, yet he insists it's just my imagination."

Clay shifted from his position leaning against the wall, and sat down next to Liz. "What I don't understand is how he's seeing whoever it is he's seeing. None of the cameras see him breaking out and there's no damage to the building."

"That means he's seeing someone inside the building!" Liz exclaimed. "And he wouldn't be stupid enough to bring someone in!"

"So who's he seeing?" John asked.

Liz grinned. "Well, this is sort of our fault." At the men's shocked glances, she elaborated. "We haven't been paying enough attention. I mean, Red's all alone now! So, I say we spend the entire day tomorrow with him. And if he sneaks off, we'll sneak after him and see where he's going."

Clay wrapped his arms around the fire-starter and gave her a squeeze. "Sounds like a plan."

The two couples sat that way for a moment before Abe asked, "But where did they learn to stitch like that?!"

* * *

_REVIEW DAMNIT! OR ELSE WE'LL HOLD OUT!_

_Kit_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, more or less; thanks to everyone who's reviewing, and to those of you who aren't, we have plenty of stories we could be working on, so I figure we can hold out posting until AUGUST and still have plenty of work. _

So, basically, REVIEW DAMNIT!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Hellboy groaned in frustration as he finally managed to get away from Abe and Liz. Those two, as well as Clay and John had been following him all of yesterday. In fact, he had only gotten to the hallway that housed the elevator down to Blaise, when Liz had spotted him again. Today, he had told them that he must have eaten something bad the other day. No one asked any questions.

The demon skirted another few agents, and ducked into the wall, hurrying to the elevator. Tapping his foot, he absently wondered how Blaise was doing. She had refused his offers to get her anything more than a blanket and a pillow. As the elevator dinged, Hellboy started to get out.

The last thing he expected was a gun to his face.

* * *

The minute he saw Blaise circled by at least a dozen armed agents, Hellboy knew exactly what Liz and the others were up to. They had wanted to see where he was disappearing to. He turned to the agent who had the gun in his face. "Get that stick outta my face before I wrap it around yer neck. What the hell's goin' on?"

"Nothing, Red." The demon spotted Clay standing over by Blaise. "How did you even find this place, Hellboy? No one is supposed to know about it?" The agent frowned. "I even forgot it was here."

"I showed it to him," Blaise volunteered. When the agents gave her surprised looks, she turned to Clay. "Don't be so surprised; you were told about me on your first day at this Bureau. You know what I'm capable of."

"No ya didn't, Blaise. I don't want ya coverin' for me." Hellboy glared at Clay. "What the hell's goin' on, Clay? What's wrong with me seein' 'er."

Clay shook his head. "You aren't even supposed to know about her, Hellboy. Liz and Blue don't know either. She's......." He trailed off, uncomfortable.

"A failure," Blaise supplied, look utterly calm, "A mistake, an oversight, a blunder, a flop, an absolute catastrophe. A fuck-up."

Red blinked in surprise. How could she be so, so _nonchalant _about all this. It was like she knew it was going to happen!

"Of course I did, Hellboy. Good things never last; it was only a matter of time."

The demon snapped. "Alright! I wanna know exactly what the hell's goin' on, and I wanna know now! Why are all of you here?! Why did ya lock up Blaise for sixty years?! I want _answers_, damnit!"

Hellboy didn't get answers. Instead, he got a heavy-duty tranquilizer dart to the shoulder.

* * *

When Hellboy woke up with a pounding headache, he realized he was back in his room. Getting up and trying the door, he found it was locked. "Damnit! I ain't a gorilla! Let me out!"

A quiet voice spoke through the metal. "I can't, Hellboy."

Red recognized the voice. "John? What's goin' on? Why am I in here?"

"I can't let you out, Hellboy. You can't see Blaise." John sounded really upset about the recent developments.

"Why not?" Hellboy asked, "What's wrong with Blaise?"

A sigh. "I can't tell you, Red. I wish I could, God, you know I do, but I can't."

The demon pounded a fist against the ground. He was officially getting nowhere. Suddenly, he decided to play the guilt card. "You tricked me, Boy Scout. You and Liz and Clay and Abe. You guys tricked me into showin' ya where I was going!"

John's voice sounded distressed. "Hellboy, we didn't know! We thought you were sneaking out or something! God, it would have been better if you were sneaking out! I had no idea you were seeing _her_!"

"But what's wrong with Blaise? Why did ya lock her up sixty years ago?" Something occurred to the demon. "Father! Did he know about it! He never woulda let anyone lock Blaise up!" Hellboy growled. "I bet Manning did it, the bastard."

"Hellboy, Manning wasn't at the BPRD yet. And yes, Professor Broom knew; he was the one who told me about her."

Red's jaw dropped. His father had allowed someone to shut Blaise up in that dark, clammy room? "Ya gotta let me outta here, Boy Scout. Please, I gotta see her. I need ta make sure she's okay."

"I can't, Hellboy."

"But there were so many agents down there!" Hellboy was nearly pleading now. "Who knows what they mighta done! C'mon Boy Scout!"

"Hellboy," John shouted, "I can't! You know I would if I could, but I can't let you out!"

There was a long silence before John asked, "Do you love her?"

The question stunned Hellboy. He had never thought about it that way. Did he love Blaise? "I dunno, Boy Scout. I haven't had enough time ta figure out." He waited a few seconds before asking. "Come on, John. What if it were Abe?"

The agent didn't answer, and Hellboy worried that he had pushed to far. He stood and put a hand against the door. "John?" Under his hand, the door creaked open, and John was nowhere in sight. Red wasted no time bolting down the hallway, heading towards Manning's office. If things went his way, the Director was gonna have one helluvan ear-full by the time the night was through.

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Remember, AUGUST!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	5. Chapter 5

Hey you guys!

_Sorry it's been so long, but we've had exams and all sorts of stuff to do! Also sorry that this is short, but my head is really, really hurting. Johann finally shows up, though!_

Seriously. Kit can barely stand.

_Mneh. Which explains why I'm sitting. Anyway, please review, and **CHECK OUR PROFILE**. There is something **VERY IMPORTANT** on there. _

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

* * *

Blaise looked up as she heard the elevator groan on its way down. The agents had long cleared out, and Hellboy was confined to his room—so who could it be? Curious, she walked up to the elevator doors. With a click, they opened, and the girl found herself pinned against the wall, and lips on hers.

Her eyes caught a flash of red skin before they closed, and she wrapped her arms around Hellboy's neck. The demon groaned as she did, and his hand ran up under her shirt, reaching for her chest. Suddenly, though, Blaise pulled away. "Hellboy...."

The demon looked up from kissing her neck. "Hmm?"

The girl inhaled sharply as Red's tail wrapped around her thigh, but then she pushed his shoulders until he looked at her. "Hellboy, we can't do this."

He stepped back, suddenly coming to his senses. "Why not?"

"Because," she said, "It's not safe for you."

"That's what everyone's been tellin' me!" Hellboy snapped.

"And you should listen to them!"

"Nobody's tellin' me why, though! What's wrong with you?"

Blaise stopped and looked down. "I'm not exactly right."

Red laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her away from the elevators. "I figured. Now why don't ya tell me exactly what's not right about ya?"

Sitting down on the ground, Blaise sighed. "In 1946, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense decided that they were going to try to create a superhuman—someone who could be your partner when you got older. And so I volunteered. They took my already present—subconscious, mind you—powers, and enhanced them. They also made me super fast and super strong. But something happened. My innate powers started to unravel the new DNA that the BPRD scientists put in, and it made me way too volatile. So Professor Broom agreed to put me here—safe storage."

"But whaddaya mean, volatile?"

Blaise glanced at him, then looked back down at the ground. "My body is unraveling itself; eventually my genetic code will come undone and I'll explode. The explosive power is equivalent to seven kilotons."

Hellboy listened carefully, then stood. "Ya know what? This is crap. You stay here; I'm gonna go talk ta Manning—there's no way in hell that bastard's gettin' away with lockin' ya up again!"

"But wait—Hellboy!" But the demon was already gone, the elevator doors closing behind him. Blaise sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "He's so naïve."

* * *

Manning was in his office, talking with Johann, when Hellboy barged in.

The ectoplasmic specialist looked up. "Vell now. I just get back from a month-long solo mission, and learn of zese new developments. Qvite interesting." He took a look at Hellboy, the demon's tail lashing in rage. "I take it zat you are not happy vith zese developments?"

"Yer damn right I'm not!" The demon jabbed a finger at Manning. "You ain't lockin' her up."

Manning sighed and took several pills. "You're not in a position to tell me what to do, Hellboy!"

"Like hell I'm not! Who do ya think ya are, tellin' me—"

"If I may," Johann cut in, "Perhaps ve should let her go." Manning started to object, but the ghost continued. "Ve vould just need you to stay avay from her for tveny-four hours, Agent Hellboy, so ve can examine her and give her ze corrects medication for her condition." He gave Manning a pointed look. "She vould be a _vonderful_ asset to our team."

Surprisingly, Manning nodded. "Sure, fine." He pointed at Hellboy. "Just stay away from her for a day, got it?"

Hellboy laughed. "You bet!" He grinned, and turned walking out of the room. His voice floated down from the hallway. "Now I need a beer."

* * *

Blaise opened her eyes as she heard the elevator open, a feeling of dread in her gut. Stepping cautiously up to the elevator doors, she sighed as they opened to reveal Liz, Abe, Clay, John and Johann, all grim-faced. "I told him he was too naïve. You've come to take me away, haven't you, Dr. Krauss?"

Without a word, the ghost nodded, and Blaise smiled sadly, allowing Abe and Clay to take her by the arms and lead her to the elevator. "Perhaps it's for the best."

No one answered.

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay you guys, I'm sorry this is short and kinda rushed, but I'm not feeling so great and I really need to sleep. So enjoy and review!_

Oh, and please, please do us a huge favor! Check out our Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons stories and REVIEW, because those writers in the DVC and A&D fandoms aren't nearly as great as you guys.

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Hellboy knew something was wrong. The rest of the team had just gotten back from what they told him was, "a quick scouting mission, Hellboy", and the guards posted at the entrance to Blaise's room were gone. It had been more than a day since he had burst into Manning's office, and no one had some much as mentioned Blaise. Red didn't like it.

* * *

So now he was tailing John, trying to get the agent alone so he could interrogate him. But the kid was smart; he seemed to know exactly what the demon was doing, and so he stuck to wide open spaces with tons of agents—it was almost midnight, why the hell was anyone still here? Hellboy growled in frustration as John started up a conversation with some new agent—Larry or something—and trudged off to try Abe.

* * *

"No, Hellboy."

Hellboy stopped just outside the threshold of the library. "But ya don't even know what I was gonna ask!"

Abe shrugged and swam in idle circles as the demon walked in. "Yes I do, Hellboy. I'm psychic, remember? I'm not telling you anything, because I don't know anything."

Red growled. "Like hell ya don't! It's been three days; where the hell is Blaise?"

The icthyo-sapien shrugged. "Asleep, probably. It _is_ one in the morning, Hellboy."

"Where are the guards that were at the door?"

"Manning said she would join the team once she was well—last I checked, you and I don't have security details, do we?"

"But....." Hellboy frowned. Blue had him and he knew it. "Somethin' ain't right, Abe, and ya know what it is. And ya ain't tellin' me. I dunno what's wrong with Manning; because Blaise seemed perfectly fine ta me."

"Liz seems perfectly fine, and she spontaneously combusts."

The demon glared at him. "Shut up, Blue. I know somethin' ain't right, and I bet that ass Manning told you and John and Liz and Johann and Clay not ta say anythin', but I'm gonna find out." Red spun on his heel and stomped out.

Abe sighed as Johann, Liz, John and Clay emerged from the shadows. Liz looked upset. "I wish we could tell him. She was so nice and normal on the ride to the containment facility in Vermont—is she really that dangerous?"

John and Clay nodded. "She is," the senior agent told her, "She's the first thing we're told about when we get hired—who she is, what she is, what she can do, and how to handle a situation where she would get free." He paused. "You know those fire drills Manning has us practice?"

Liz nodded. "The ones that don't make any sense—the ones where Hellboy, Abe and I are evacuated and all the agents stay inside?"

John frowned. "Yeah, those. Those aren't fire drills; those are drills for us agents to gauge our reaction to Blaise escaping."

"You make her sound like a monster!" Liz said, angry. "It's the Bureau's fault she like that!"

Clay shrugged. "We can't help it! Do you think we want to see Hellboy so upset? He really likes the girl, but have our orders; she's really dangerous, whether it's her fault or not." Liz started to say something, but hung her head, nodding silently.

* * *

Outside the library, Hellboy's tail flicked back and forth as he smiled. The containment facility in Vermont was one he knew well—if he left now, he could get there in four hours, give or take. Glancing around to make sure no one was around; Red crept off to the garage.

* * *

The drive had been more than harrowing. By the time he had found a truck he could comfortably sit in and operate, he had wasted an hour, and then he ran every red light and evaded several cops. As Hellboy parked and climbed out, wincing as the muscles in his legs complained, the demon looked up at the Montpelier Trash Processing Facility. He snorted—a trash facility with bio-security? Scanning a badge he had snitched from Larry Whatshisface, Hellboy crept across the grounds, sneaking in through the service entrance and then down to the bottom floor, hoping he was right. This facility had twelve stories.

And he was. The entire bottom floor was an empty circle, except for a small viewing room. The floor was at least a two miles wide outside of the viewing room, and there was a small human-shaped speck in the center of the room—Blaise. She took a step forward and the entire floor shifted, continually keeping her in the center of the circle.

Prying open the door to the room, Hellboy bolted for the girl. Blaise looked horrified. "Hellboy, what are you doing here?"

"Whaddaya mean, what am I doin' here?" he demanded. "I'm getting' ya the hell outta here!" He reached out to grab her arm, but she stepped back, the floor shifting with her.

"Hellboy, you can't. I _wanted_ to come here—it's for my own safety."

Red growled and grabbed her by the shoulder. "No it's not! Yer stuck all alone in some huge room about three miles below the ground! And ya have been for the past sixty-three years! There ain't no way this is fer yer own safety!"

"But it is," she insisted, "The reports your technicians got from my blood show that my genetic code is almost completely unraveled; it'll break down in about—"

Blaise choked, her eyes growing wide, and lurched backwards, Hellboy's tail barely managing to catch her. "Blaise! What's goin' on? What the hell's wrong?!" She didn't answer, and Hellboy realized that her genes had broken down sooner than expected. "Hey, somebody, help!" he shouted.

But if anyone was around to here him, his voice was drowned out by the boom that accompanied the large flash of light that swallowed the entire room.

* * *

When the smoke cleared, Hellboy pushed himself off the ground, shaking his head to clear the fog. The blast he blown him several hundred feet from Blaise, who was crumpled on the floor, smoking rising from her clothes. Jumping shakily to his feet, Hellboy ran over to Blaise. "Hey, Blaise, talk ta me? Are ya okay?"

With a groan, the girl sat up, her eyes cracking open slowly. Looking up at Hellboy, she frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, do I know you?"

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it took so long, but we were in California! The computer we were using wasn't mine, and my flash drive suddenly decided to NOT WORK, and almost drove me crazy. I was going through writer-withdrawl!! Thanks for all of your reviews!_

Here you go, and be careful, it gets twisty!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot, Blaise Ashby/Alder, and Isaac Fisher**_

* * *

Hellboy hissed as Abe ran a cotton swab drenched in alcohol. "That wasn't very smart, Red. You could be dead."

Several hours had passed since the explosion, and Johann, Abe, Liz and John had wasted no time in catching up to the demon. They dragged him to the infirmary, where he had been sitting for the past hour. Red growled. "Well, I'm not. And it wasn't very smart ta trick me either, Blue." He glanced around. "Where's Blaise? Is she okay? How come she ain't dead—I mean, at least I'm fireproof."

"The explosion was made up of Blaise's genetic material," Abe explained, "It's like spraying acid onto acid—nothing happens." He gestured at the demon, who was covered in all manner of cuts. "If you spray acid on a tomato, however, it—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Hellboy yelped as Abe skimmed a particularly nasty cut. "So where is she? They can't lock 'er up again!!"

"They didn't, Red." The demon and Abe turned to see John, Liz, Johann and Clay standing by the door. Clay elaborated, "She's been released."

"Released? Released where?"

"She didn't remember anything, Hellboy," Liz told him. "And since her powers restored their natural balance, she wasn't a threat anymore. Manning just told her that the experiment had failed, and that she was free to go. He arranged for her to get her old apartment back."

"So she really doesn't remember?" Abe asked, "Anything?"

John gave Hellboy a look full of pity. "Nothing. I'm really, really sorry Hellboy."

The demon stood, jumping off the examination table, and John took a step back. But the demon didn't come near him; instead, he trudged out the door, his head down. Liz scowled. "Manning is such an ass." She turned to Abe. "Why can't Blaise remember anything anyway?"

"The trauma of the explosion must have wiped the slate clean. Her brain overloaded with the strain of keeping her alive, and memories must not have seemed very important at the moment."

"Will she be able to remember anything?" Clay asked, his eyes still on the door where the demon had gone.

Blue shrugged. "I wish I knew, but I don't. Maybe, years from now, she'll remember fragments, but now? Blaise has no idea who we are."

* * *

Hellboy slammed his fist into the tree, listening to it crack under his fingers. He was wandering in some park—after he had left the infirmary, no one stood in his way out the door. "Goddamnit!" he roared, hitting the tree again, watching it groan and tumble. The crash echoed, and it brought to mind one of the questions both Abe and Blaise loved; if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?

Blaise was gone; she had no idea who he was. Hellboy slammed his fist into another tree. It was all Manning's fault! If he hadn't shipped her off.....the demon knew it wasn't true. She would have exploded somewhere else, and she still wouldn't remember him.

"I don't think the forest rangers will appreciate that."

Hellboy jumped and whirled, his heart in his throat as Blaise came up behind him. "Blaise?"

The girl paused, her golden eyes appraising him. "You're Hellboy, right? I haven't seen you since you were very small."

"Yeah ya have! I saw ya three days ago!" Hellboy racked his brains for other things she'd told him. "I know ya, and you know me! You were from Ireland, and yer parents and you came here and your uncle didn't want you and......." he paused, "And we went to New York! And I said that you were spyin' on the world through your capsule-tube-thingy!"

Blaise took a step back, wary. "How do you know so much about me?"

"You told me! Come on Blaise," he pleaded, "Ya gotta remember me—please?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hellboy, but I just woke up this morning. Director Manning said that the experiment failed, and my power balanced. I'm free to go back to my house. I've only ever met you when I first came to the BPRD."

"Manning's lyin'!" Red was desperate. "I know ya, and he's lyin'!"

"Why would he lie?"

"Because—" _Because I love you!_ Hellboy wanted to shout that, but he froze. "Nah, yer right. Manning ain't lyin'—'M sorry."

Blaise shrugged. "It's alright." She glanced at her wrist and Hellboy saw that the BPRD wasn't letting her go so easily—her watch had a tracking sensor. "I suppose I should be going back; Director Manning arranged a flight for me in the morning, and I need to sign release forms." She turned and walked off, shouting over her shoulder, "Goodbye, Hellboy!"

* * *

John was waiting for him as the demon walked back into the building. Red expected him to gripe about why he broke out again, but the agent said nothing. Slowly, emerging from other hallways, Liz, Johann, Abe and Clay joined them. Hellboy didn't know where they were going—he had no idea how to navigate the Vermont building—but they were just walking. Suddenly, though, as they walked past the meeting room, Hellboy froze.

Manning was in there, a glass of orange juice in his hands. He was talking with the head of the Vermont district, and he looked slightly content for once. Hellboy's hand flew to his gun. Both Liz and John realized what he was doing and jumped for the Samaritan, but Hellboy lifted it out of their reach, pressing the trigger. The glass of the meeting room blew, and Manning stared at his shattered orange juice glass; remnants of a giant bullet in the wall behind him.

Liz, John and Abe exchanged glances, and Hellboy shrugged. "I feel better," he said simply, as if that justified blowing a hole in his boss's drink.

Clay rolled his eyes.

* * *

The next day, Hellboy woke up late, his cuts stinging. Glancing at his clock, he realized he missed Blaise's flight—she was long gone now. Yesterday the agents at the Vermont building had gone crazy, arranging her apartment and legal documents. He and the team were supposed to stay for another day in Vermont—a mini-vacation, that asshole Manning had told them—and then they'd fly back to the BPRD.

Pulling on a pair of pants as his stomach rumbled, Hellboy pulled open the door of his spare room and stepped out into the hallway. Almost instantly, he collided with someone. It was a young agent, around twenty, and he took a huge step back when he saw Hellboy. "Shit, sorry. I'm kinda new here, and—"

"Where ya headed?" Hellboy asked.

The kid looked confused. "Meeting room. Mr. Vance was talking to the Director—Manning, I think—when this guy burst in. He's got a gun!"

On one hand, Hellboy considered leaving Manning to the crazy guy, but on the other, Liz would probably roast him if he did. Groaning, he rushed off after the kid.

* * *

He wasn't kidding.

When Hellboy got to the meeting room—the glass wall had already been replaced—he saw Liz, John, Abe, Johann and Clay were already there, guns drawn. The guy inside with Vance and Manning looked normal, and while he hadn't drawn his gun yet, Hellboy could see it clearly. Sighing, he pulled out his Samaritan and rapped on the glass.

The man—young, twenty-seven at most— turned, and Hellboy grinned. "Look buddy, I'd be glad to let ya shoot Manning, but he's kinda in charge. So how's about ya put the gun away before me and my friends have ta shoot ya?"

The man looked confused, and reached into his jacket. The clicking of gun hammers being pulled back echoed in the corridor, and he quickly pulled his hand out. "Look, um...."

"Hellboy."

"Hellboy—thanks. I'm gonna reach into my jacket with two fingers and pull out a badge."

"Badge for what?" Liz asked.

"To show you that I'm not here to kill anyone. I'm just here for Blaise Alder."

"Her name is Blaise Ashby," Johann said.

"It was," the man told them, "Not anymore." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a federal badge. "My name is Isaac Fisher."

Everyone put away their guns, and Isaac Fisher stepped out of the meeting room. Slowly, John and Clay walked over to him. "Who are you with?"

But Hellboy's sharp eyes read the badge before John and Clay could manage. His jaw dropped as Fisher said, "I'm with the Witness Protection Program. Blaise Ashby is under my care."

* * *

_I can just imagine the jaws dropping........(grins wickedly)_

Review y'all, and there'll be more to come!

_Kit &_ Violet


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay.....so this one has a huge cliffhanger.....just because we love torturing you guys._

By the way, thanks for all the reviews....(total sarcasm)

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot, Blaise, Isaac Fisher and Carver. Jaime Rodriguez was a real serial killer; he did not actually kill forty-three people, as far as people are aware. He did, however, kill one.**_

* * *

An hour later, Isaac Fisher sat with the team in the meeting room. Manning loomed over him. "How do you know about that girl? You're only twenty-six."

Isaac played with the neck of his turtleneck. "My boss was her handler, and he retired a year ago. I was assigned his case." He glanced around. "Is Miss Ashby—damnit, I mean Alder—here?"

"You don't know?" Abe asked.

"I've never seen her, only pictures."

"Believe me," John said, "She doesn't look any different." Confused yet somehow not surprised, Isaac nodded. Continuing, the agent asked, "Why did you come back, anyway? The WPP shouldn't know about us."

"We have a special division to deal with supernatural witnesses."

Hellboy grinned. "Oh yeah, 'cause people are definitely gonna go after a pixie who busted their drug deal."

Fisher frowned. "Anyway, Miss Alder is one of those special cases. She woke up once in 1991, and witnessed a serial killer murdering his forty-third victim. She came to the FBI—accompanied by Professor Broom—and easily identified him, later testifying against him in court."

"And so know zis man is free?" Johann asked. "Is zat vhy you have come back?"

"Oh no," Fisher said, shaking his head. "The serial killer got the electric chair."

"So vhy are you here?"

Isaac looked nervous, and Hellboy had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Well, it appears that he had two teenaged accomplices."

"I highly doubt that the accomplices would seek revenge for a botched murder eighteen years ago," Abe said, "If they're even alive."

"This man's accomplices were his sixteen year old son and his eighteen year old daughter. They've been on the lam since their father was killed."

Hellboy paled. "And now they're after Blaise, ain't they?"

Isaac nodded.

* * *

"How would they even know that Blaise was still alive—let alone where she is?" Liz asked Fisher as they climbed into the plane.

"One of our lab rats—technicians, I mean—found a bug in the computer system. When Vance sent out the new information about Blaise, those two picked it up. I'd be surprised if they hadn't already—"

"Hey, buddy. Ya better quit while yer ahead before ya lose somethin' important." Fisher paled as he heard Hellboy growl at him from the front of the plane.

Fisher coughed. "Right. Shutting up." The agent sat down next to John, who grinned sympathetically.

Meanwhile, Abe had put his hand on Hellboy's arm. _You didn't have to scare him with threats of castration, Hellboy._

_You got any better threats, I'm open._

Abe sighed. _You didn't have to threaten him at all. He's just as worried about Blaise as you are._

Hellboy shot him a skeptical look. _Him? Blaise? The only thing that newbie's worried about is his ass back at WPP. If he loses her, his boss'll kill 'im. No one's as worried about Blaise as me._

_So you admit it?_

The demon looked up in surprise. Liz and Clay had sat down next to Abe, and Liz was leaning on the icthyo-sapien. They had heard everything. Red groaned. "Ya gotta warn me when people are spyin', Blue!"

Abe laughed. "That betrays the point!"

John shrugged. "We all know you like her, Red."

"How'd _you_ hear?!"

The agent looked down at his foot, which was touching Abe's. Isaac grinned as well—he and John were crammed so close together, their shoulders were touching. The demon groaned again. "I gotta stop thinking."

Liz smirked. "You think?"

* * *

Blaise hummed quietly as she cut vegetables by the sink, the TV blaring some rock concert in the other room. It was strange being back in the apartment her uncle had kicked her out of—and now it was hers. It was nice of the BPRD to set it up for her. She frowned; she did, however, wonder why the previous owners had been _so_ eager to move out.

A light hissing snapped her out of her reverie. A corn snake sat on the counter inches from her arm, looking at her expectantly. "Carver, you don't eat vegetables—you're a snake!" she admonished gently. As if he didn't believe her, Carver snatched a piece of bell pepper, promptly spitting it out; a disgusted look on his reptilian face.

Blaise shook her head. "You're just like Hellboy." Suddenly she paused, bemused. For the past few nights, she had been having the strangest dreams—memories almost. About Hellboy and Abe and Liz. She frowned—but that was impossible, wasn't it? She had only woken up a few days ago.

Suddenly, Carver hissed in alarm, and Blaise noticed that her TV had been turned off. Her grip tightened on the knife, and she turned slowly.

"Don't even think about it."

Two people stood in front of her, donned in matching ski masks. Blaise smiled. "You can take those off. I know who you are."

As one, the man and woman pulled off their masks, revealing very similar faces. "Our father was Jaime Rodriguez."

"I know."

The woman blinked in surprise. "You killed him."

Blaise sighed. "Not before the three of you beheaded a teenage runaway and cut off one of her fingers to keep as a charm." There was a pause. "But yes, I killed him—or at least convicted him."

"That's the same thing!" the man snapped.

"Are you denying that he killed someone?"

The woman ignored her, brandishing the gun she held in her hand. "Our father was a good man."

Blaise nodded, and slowly put the knife down on the counter. "A good man, and a murderer." The pair stiffened, and the girl shrugged. "It all depends on who you are—the teenage runaway who lost her head, or the children who lost their father."

The man shook his head, as if clearing it from a fog. "You're going to die."

Blaise smiled. "I know."

* * *

REVIEW!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	9. Chapter 9

It's finally done!

_This was a really fun chapter to write! I hope you enjoy it and review! And as many of you know, this will be our last Hellboy fic for a long time.....BUT WE WILL KEEP WRITING THEM. Eventually. CHECK OUT OUR PROFILE FOR MORE INFORMATION!!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual. We own nothing but the plot, Blaise Ashby/Alder, Isaac Fisher, and Samantha and Elliot Rodriguez.**_

* * *

The door was already open when they got there. Hellboy's heart dropped into his stomach. "They got 'er. We missed 'em."

Liz exchanged glances with John and Abe and stepped around the demon, stepping into the apartment. There was still food on the counter, and nothing else was disturbed. Abe spread his fingers wide and closed his eyes. "She left willingly." He turned to Hellboy and smiled faintly. "Maybe it wasn't them."

"And maybe pigs fly!" Hellboy snapped.

Clay cleared his throat. "Well, actually, remember that case in Arkansas....." A hard glare from the demon shut him up. "We'll find her, Hellboy."

The demon started to say something when a shout from the other room made him reach for his gun. Fisher bolted into the kitchen a second later. "Snake!" Hellboy exchanged glances with Liz, who nodded and stepped into the living room. A minute later, she came out, a small corn snake wrapped around her wrist. Isaac flushed. "That is _not_ the snake I saw."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "It's the only one I saw." With a skeptical look at the WPP agent, the team stepped into the living room.

It was perfectly ordinary, with no snake in sight. Hellboy sighed. "Where'd ya see the snake?"

Isaac pointed to the far wall. "Right there. Right in front of the sliding door to the balcony."

Abe stepped forward and closed his eyes. "There's nothing here." He moved to turn back to the others but Clay's shout of surprise made his eyes snap open. On the curtain, red words flashed._ 'Nice to finally get your attention.'_

Johann stepped back in surprise, then chuckled. "Vell, zis is very interesting." He turned to John. "Vhat are ze extents of our dear girl's powers?"

John shrugged. "No one ever got close enough to measure them—except maybe Professor Broom."

'_The extent of my powers has been drastically reduced since 1946—for which I'm somewhat grateful. They will, however, recover.'_

Liz smiled. "Oh, that's good."

'_Not, though, before Samantha and Elliot kill me.'_

"Where the hell are ya?!" Hellboy demanded. Seconds later, an address appeared on the curtain. Hellboy was out the door before Clay could jot it down.

* * *

The gun prodded Blaise in the back as she hesitantly stepped forward. The woman behind her growled and shoved the gun into her spine again. "Keep walking."

Blaise sighed and stepped forward into the house. "Do you really want to kill me?"

The man snorted, locking the door behind them. "If you're trying to make us sympathize with you and let you go, it isn't going to work. We've killed before."

The girl shrugged. "I know. But it was worth a try."

Suddenly, the gun disappeared from her back and Samantha whirled her around, her face inches from the girl's. "We're going to _kill_ you. You're going to _die_! Do you even _care_?"

Blaise shrugged again. "To be honest, not really. I've hurt you very badly—I took away Jaime Rodriguez, your father, and I sincerely regret that. But I will _never_ regret putting away Jaime Rodriguez, the murderer who killed all those people. I also know that you would come for me, which is why I agreed to take back my old apartment." She turned to them and smiled. "I've been alive for sixty-three years—I'm ready to die."

Elliot listened with a blank stare and then turned to his sister. "Hey, Samantha? Maybe we should let her go." His face was devoid of emotion and surprisingly pale.

The woman spun to face her brother, her face twisted in rage. "She condemned Dad! He got the electric chair because of her!"

"Yeah, but she didn't mean to!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Samantha snarled. Elliot took a step back, his hand reaching for his gun. "She's just trying to trick you! She's crazy!" The woman gestured wildly at Blaise. "She looks barely eighteen—and she says she's sixty-three! She's mind-fucking you!"

"I wonder," Blaise said conversationally from behind Samantha, "What happened to that girl's finger? Surely it must have rotted by now. Did you—"

Samantha's gun hand flew backwards, and the barrel of the semi-automatic caught Blaise's cheek hard, knocking her to the ground. "Shut up, bitch!"

"Hey!" Elliot shouted, "You didn't have to do that!"

"Why the hell not?!" Samantha demanded.

"We're not going to kill her!"

"Like hell we are!" Samantha turned back around to shoot Blaise, but swore when she heard the back door slam shut. Turning back to her brother, she brandished her gun. "This is all your fault!"

* * *

Hellboy heard the gunshots before the truck had stopped. Grabbing his gun and ignoring Liz's shout of surprise, the demon yanked open the doors and jumped out as the truck was still moving. Slamming through the metal doors of the warehouse, Hellboy's shoulders dropped in relief to see two dead bodies—Samantha and Elliot Rodriguez—sprawled on the floor.

But where was Blaise? Hellboy was about to shout, but thought better of it—the two might not have worked alone. Red started to turn to see if the others had reached him yet, but something hard and heavy connected with the back of his head, knocking him to the ground.

"Oh, shit!" Someone dropped to their knees next to him, and hand cradled his head. "I'm so sorry, Hellboy!"

The demon sat up groggily, rubbing his head and glaring at the baseball bat that lay discarded on the ground next to Blaise. "Blaise?" Suddenly, his head cleared and he wrapped his arms around her. "Blaise! Are ya okay? They didn't hurt ya, did they?! If they did, I'll kill 'em!" Pulling her even closer, he murmured into her neck, not even sure if she'd hear it, "I love ya. I never got ta say it, but I do."

Blaise laughed and wiggled around, but didn't break out of his grip. "I took care of Samanthat and Elliot, Hellboy. But I'm glad you're here." There was a pause, and then she said, "I think I know you, Hellboy. I've been having strange dreams about us. Did we really go to New York?"

Hellboy nodded. "Yeah! And I really broke a can 'a spray cheese, and ya really compared me to a........" he trailed off, "What was it?"

The girl smiled. "A giant, spray painted goat with a millstone around its neck."

"Yeah, exactly!" Red looked down at her. "So ya really remember me?"

"Bits and pieces." The two of them looked up as the team appeared around the corner. Blaise untangles herself from Hellboy and stood. As the team came closer, the girl turned and smirked slyly at the demon. "I also remember what you did when you came down to see me after the Bureau found out I was awake."

Hellboy groaned. "Aw crap."

Blaise shrugged offhandedly. "What? I loved it."

Red arched an eyebrow. "Oh _really_?"

"Hellboy, you damn idiot!"

The demon groaned as Liz slapped him, then wrapped her arms around his waist. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Red chuckled nervously. "Um, savin' Blaise?"

John, Johann, Clay, Abe and Isaac caught up to them. Isaac cleared his throat. "It's good to see you're alive, Miss Ashby. But we don't know if Samantha or Elliot had children. You may still be in danger; we'll have to relocate you again."

Hellboy growled. "She's stayin' with me." Isaac started to retort, but the demon jabbed a finger at him. "And if you or Manning got somethin' ta say about it, yer gonna get an up-close and personal meetin' with the Samaritan."

Blaise smiled and put a hand on Hellboy's chest, calming him. She turned to Isaac. "Mr. Fisher, if I may interrupt?" She smirked and gestured at the BPRD team. "Where better to relocate a dead girl than to an agency that doesn't exist?"

* * *

_One week later_

Hellboy grinned as he watched John kick his gun as far away from him as was possible in the truck, and wrapped a bloody arm around Blaise's shoulders. She didn't seem to mind, leaning into the embrace and smiling at John. "I'm sure Manning will let you requisition a new gun."

John growled and semi-hesitantly let Abe run his fingers through the agent's hair. "But I _liked_ that one! They're gonna send me something straight off the factory belt—it'll take forever to break in!"

"But that's the fun of it, isn't it?" Liz said from by the front of the truck, where she was talking to Clay through the grate. John started to answer, but sirens from outside the truck cut him off. Hellboy saw Clay glance at his rearview mirror and swear. "Cops."

Blaise's fingers tightened on Hellboy's mangled shirt as Clay pulled the truck off the highway. Seconds later, the cop approached the driver side window. "License and registration, please."

Clay nodded and fished them out of the glove compartment. The cop looked at them and handed them back, then gestured to the truck. "What's in there?"

Clay smiled nervously. "It's a moving truck, sir. There's furniture."

The cop smiled back. "I think I'll go have a look-see." Before Clay could stop him, the cop spun on his heel and disappeared behind the truck. Seconds later, the door opened, and the man's jaw dropped. Hellboy waved. "Hey."

Before the man could reach for his radio, Blaise had jumped off the bench and crossed over to him, leaning over and whispering something in his ear. The cop's eyes glazed over, and without a word he turned and went back to his squad car. Blaise shut the doors behind him.

John smiled at her as she sat down. "Are you ever going to tell us what your powers are?"

Blaise returned the smile. "The minute I figure that out, you'll be the second to know."

John pouted. "Second? Who's first?"

Hellboy cleared his throat and they laughed. Suddenly, Abe asked, "Do you believe in the butterfly effect?"

Blaise arched an eyebrow. "The idea that the smallest event can cause great changes in the future? Maybe, why?"

"Because," Abe explained, "If Hellboy hadn't had more beer than was good for him, he would never have met you."

The girl paused and then jumped to her feet, pulling something out of the mini-fridge Hellboy had snuck into the truck and tossing it to the demon. "Drink."

Red looked at the can of beer in his hand. "Why?" Another pause, and he added, "Not that I don't want the beer."

Blaise sat back down next to him. "You met me when you were drunk, didn't you?"

Hellboy laughed and cracked open the can.

* * *

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